Order Of Witches
Across the Omniverse there exist hidden powers and forces which may be manipulated in return for raw power. This power is immense and can only be called upon by those with great talent and skill, leading to the development of magic-users, people who are often simply labeled as Witches. Known by many other names, including sorcerers, warlocks, mages, spellcasters and more. To those among these learned and practiced individuals a few will witness a glimpse of the full web of arcane power that flows throughout existence. These will become Adepts of the Order of Witches. AKA: White Witches, the Witch Order, the Arcane Order, the Order of Sorcerers, Spellcasters, etc. Paradigm: Magick. Facts: -There are myriads of different forms of organizations out there for magick-users. Witch covens, magick chantries, alchemist guilds, mage orders, etc. All have their own unique specialties in magick and their own system of organization. -The Order of Witches is clearly a member of the Heretical Orders and has little to do with the Ecclesiastical Orders. -Technically, a Witch is a female magick-user. Male magick-users are called Warlocks, although in modern times both men and women are now labeled as Witch. -The Order of Witches are the premiere members of the Arcane Orders. -Witches come in myriads of forms and functions, although the classical conception of a Witch is a female user of magick who practices what is commonly called Hearth Magick (magick used at home, to help with daily life, usually little spells that have minimal effect). However. there are many different types of "Crafts" (schools of magick) and they hail from every area of the world. History Of Persecution: Few things scare people as much as magick. Knowledge of magick is intricate, complicated, and requires extensive learning. Even relatively simple forms of magick like hearth magick or potion magick can require preparation, arcane supplies and daily rituals to keep the energy flowing. Because of this, most individuals know little if anything of real importance in regards to how magick works. And because magick can produce effects both subtle and terrifying, this naturally leads to most magick-users being segregated within their native communities. Even in cultures that accept magick, usually only people who have themselves taken up the mantle of arcane education will truly tolerate other magick-users. It also doesn't help that magick leaves little in the way of traceable, physical evidence. Crimes committed by Witches are feared because they can be done over great distances, often with no real defense or way to identify the culprit. Primitive or superstitious societies will often view Witches and the study of magick as anathema, exiling or outright executing members of the Witch Order. This state of affairs often leads to two things. The first is that professional witch-hunters, often known as Witchfinders, tend to pop up across the Omniverse. Witchfinders are Hunters who specialize in hunting Witches and may or may not use supernatural means of defense against witchcraft in general. The second effect of all of this is that many, many Witches who started out as White Witches and had nothing but the best of intentions often turn to the dark side of magick after some tragedy befalls them thanks to fearful locals. Witchhunts often force Witches to go underground, and to make pacts and bargains with darker forces in return for protection. It also hardens their hearts, causing many a Witch to become numb to the crime of hurting other people with their magicks. Witchcraft: Members of the Order of Witches, and all magick-users, gain access to all sorts of arcane power through the various Crafts. But learning to access this power is often time-consuming and fraught with dangers. Miscalculated spells or rituals gone haywire can lead to catastrophic results, and more than a few Witches have accidentally opened themselves up to possession or worse by communing with unknown forces. Training, discipline and experience are paramount to a Witch Adept developing their powers. Superstitious: Magick is the study of unknown and hidden powers. Practitioners of magick frequently employ unusual means in locating and manipulating magick, and their daily rituals often pay homage to eldritch forces which lay beyond the senses and reason of those who are unitiated. For the Witches themselves, their daily life is wrought with arcane study. To outsiders, they often come across as eccentric and superstitious. It's not uncommon for Witches to take up certain practices like avoiding certain numbers, letters or locations out of fear inspired by their arcane studies. The number 9 is considered lucky in many fields of magick, and so many Witches prefer to associate with that number as much as possible, even going so far to demand they stay in the number 9 room in a hotel, or always organizing their Coven into 9 sub-groups, etc. It also doesn't help that Witches are known to have their heads in the proverbial clouds. Spirit guides and entities from the great beyond usually are not visible to mere mortals, and so when the companions of a Witch see that magick-user seemingly talking to people who aren't there... well, it causes people to see magic-users as kooky and overly eccentric. Thirst For Knowledge: Like all of the best members of the Arcane Orders, Witches feel a drive for greater knowledge. This is often a borderline quasi-religious motivation for them, especially since developing learning and experience are the keystone to magickal advancement. Even regular learning and education is difficult enough. When you throw magick into the mix, things tend to get a lot more colorful and dangerous quickly. You can really play this up if your writing or playing as a Witch because initiation into magick can be rife with adventure. The Craft: A Craft is a school of Magick and which Craft a White Witch studies in will determine what kind of spells and enchantments she can use. Witches are unique among Petitioners in that they do not call out to a single sentient Supernatural force but instead call upon the latent, supranatural powers present within creation. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Category:Magick